THE FOOD

We like to shake things up around here. We change our menus three to four times a week. Working closely with local farmers, artisans, and suppliers, we utilize the best of what local farmers have to offer each week. From sausage to salad dressings, we make everything in-house and from scratch.

DRINKS

Our Bar Program is approachable, yet refined. We pour a hefty selection of beers, ranging from sophisticated craft brews like Tampa’s own Coppertail Brewery, to what we consider “blue collar beers” like Budweiser. Our wine list is short but thoughtfully curated. Focusing on small vineyard varietals, we make sure each bottle or glass is a true bang for the buck and our Cocktail and Spirits selection is a fine mix of classic and modern, with some seriously nice ryes, whiskeys, scotches and bourbons for good measure.

WHO WE ARE

STORY

It all started about 20 years ago. A young cook named Greg Baker was working the line at an uapscale French restaurant. One night during a particularly hectic service, as the ticket meter began its mechanical song and the chef barked orders, Greg had an epiphany. He looked at the comis working beside him, peered out at the well-heeled patrons in the dining room, looked down at the freshly tattooed black widow spider on his forearm and said, “Good food is wasted on people who can afford it.”

Motivated by the idea that good food should be made available to everyone, Greg embarked on a mission that would eventually turn Tampa’s dining scene upside down. In 2010, Greg’s vision became a reality when he and his wife, Michelle, opened The Refinery. Founded on the principle that good food is a necessity, not a right, the pair has accomplished exactly what they set out to do—serve elevated food at prices that don’t break the bank.

In 2018, Chef Baker moved his tiny little restaurant to a much larger space with a dream kitchen, expansive indoor and outdoor seating, and a full liquor bar.

ETHICS

Here at The Refinery, we set the bar high when it comes to what we put on the plate. If it wasn’t grown in Florida or produced using ethically sound methods, you probably won’t find it here. We make sure each ingredient is of the highest quality and comes from folks who take great pride and care of their processes, employees, and earthly footprint.

OUR CHEF

GREG BAKER, HMFIC

Clearwater, FL raised Greg Baker set his sights on Western Culinary Institute in Portland, OR directly out of high school. He chose to leave the sunshine and white sandy beaches (and a fully paid college tuition) for diverse farmland, abundant adventurous eaters and an awesome punk rock scene. It would be in Portland where he would find his love and cement his respect for the elegance of Poor Man Food. Forging partnerships with local farmers for nearly a decade, Greg took these lessons back home to Tampa Bay where he would single handedly change the culinary scene by putting faces to farmers and daringly utilize all aspects of proteins. To do this successfully, he was forced to change his menu every week. In the beginning, there were only crickets; with each week passing he forged a new food climate in an area known for little culinary creativity. He now boasts thousands of food fans that travel from all over to enjoy his creations. But Baker remains very humbled by his success often being quoted “I’m just a dumb kid who cooks.”

Baker opened The Refinery with his wife; Michelle, in 2010 in the historic neighborhood of Seminole Heights, Tampa. His menus incorporate the flavors of the vast countrysides from across the globe, mixed with classical French technique all the while keeping in mind Florida’s rich cultural history. He is known for resurrecting nearly lost Florida ingredients and cooking techniques, for whole animal butchery, whole vegetable use, and for being an avid defender of farmer worker rights and policy reform.

Both The Tampa Tribune and The Tampa Bay Times consider the Refinery one of the most prized restaurants of Tampa Bay. Chef Greg and The Refinery has been named in Bon Appetit , Southern Living, Conde Nast Traveler, Forbes.com, Esquire Magazine, New York Magazine, The Local Palate, USA Today, The Washington Post, Edible Tampa Bay and Garden & Gun Magazine as well as countless local and national online and weekly publications. Southern Living Magazine named The Refinery Best 100 Restaurants in the South 2014. Celebrity Chef Mario Batali included Greg in his most recent cookbook; America: Farm to Table, for his work with local pig farmers. Greg currently can be read at Food Republic.com. Zagat rated The Refinery ‘Best Restaurant’ 2012 - 2015. The James Beard Foundation named The Refinery as a semi-finalist Best New Restaurant in 2011 and named Baker a semi-finalist for Best Chef South in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. When he’s not in the kitchen, you’ll find Greg kayaking, trying to fish, drinking craft beers, sipping on bourbons and spending time with his pit bull Ricky Bobby, his jerk cat Handsome Dick Manatoba and wife, Michelle.